The filtering for fluid, including liquid and gas, is extremely important for multiple reasons, including, e.g., for recycling, environmental cleaning, toxic removal, drinking water, allergy reduction, gathering precious material, filtering specific material, semiconductor processing and production, purification, medical reasons, medical supplies, laboratory work, experimental parameter control, and standardization. One aspect of filtering is removal of particles or substances from the fluid, such as from air.
Air filters are used to remove impurities from air. Such air filters typically include a removable and replaceable main filter cartridge positioned therein. The main filter cartridge can be connected to a secondary filter, and multiple filters thereafter. Filter cartridges are typically serviced by being removed or replaced.
Some of the prior work is described in the following US and foreign patents/applications:
6,358,871Sircar6,923,841Chen20050126428Lee, et al.7,141,518MacDonald, et al.20090252654Hsu, et al.20100233245Narayana20110036778WilluweitJP 1998173766Ohtake, et al.JP 10130072MiyaoJP 11019431Iimura, et al.JP 2000157811YamamotoJP 2002331212OgawaCN 101020133Sun, et al.JP 4212927Miwa, et al.WO 2009059457Chen, et al.TW 337632Chen, et al.JP 4692311UedaDE 102010005114Scope, et al.
An example of journal publication is: CAI, et al., “Effect of molar ratio of MgO/Al2O3 on the performance of MgO—Al2O3-Fe2O3 composite,” Advanced Materials Research, Pt. 1, Materials and Design, pp. 242-245, 2011.
However, the invention and embodiments described here, below, have not been addressed or presented in any prior art. For example, one embodiment teaches a filter apparatus, specifically a filter apparatus for air filtration of airborne particulates, using a sorbent.
For some of the prior art, iron oxide is one of the multiple compounds listed that collectively comprise the sorbent. However, iron oxide alone has not been used as the single or sole compound for sorbent. For example, for JP 2000157811, ceramic is impregnated or otherwise combined with iron oxide. Ceramic and iron oxide together comprise the sorbent. For JP 4212927, iron oxide is a catalyst for particulate removal from diesel engine exhaust.
In one embodiment of our invention, a sorbent air filtration device is disclosed. The sorbent is comprised solely and exclusively of iron oxide, specifically micron-sized nano-porous iron oxide particles.